White Paper

3 Steps to Monitor Critical

Electrical Assets
Continuous Condition-based Monitoring
in the Power Industry
3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets

Electric utilities strive to improve reliability in the face of challenges such as fewer
operators, aging assets and increased cycling. A critical asset failure can result in the
forced outage of power generation, transmission or distribution leading to lost
production, environmental issues, litigation arising from injuries or fatalities, and
repairing and/or replacing the damaged asset, all of which can amount to millions of
dollars of associated costs.
To address these issues, asset maintenance is transitioning from traditional reactive
and time-based maintenance to a proactive strategy through implementing
continuous condition-based monitoring. Modern sensing technology makes it possible
to continuously monitor the health of electrical power critical assets and inform plant
personnel when, or even before, problems arise.
This white paper describes the three steps for deploying condition-based monitoring
on critical electrical power assets which will lead to a proactive and eventually,
predictive maintenance strategy:

1. Prioritize which assets should be monitored.

2. Apply continuous condition-based monitoring.

3. Analyze data and evaluate asset health.

Step 1: Prioritize your assets

Outages are expensive
The following table shows a simple view of the associated average potential revenue
lost if a 500MW generator was down due to a forced outage.

Estimates based on Electric Power Annual 2015, issued November 2016 by the U.S. Energy
Information Administration
Average price per kW (60% industrial / 40% commercial customers) $ 0.030
Average price per MWh $ 30
Generator output (MW) 500
Generator output per hour ($ per MWh) $ 15,000
Average price for 12 hours of operation $ 180,000

Average potential revenue lost over 7-day period $ 1,260,000

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Asset ranking
Independent of the type of power plant, a typical electrical power delivery system
includes assets such as generators, generator circuit breakers (GCBs), line disconnect
switches, step-up and step-down transformers, segregated and non-segregated bus
ducts, potential transformer cabinets, medium voltage switchgear, motors, and other
equipment needed to support the transmission and distribution of power.

Figure 1. Asset Diagram

Unfortunately, how critical an asset is, is often subjective and stakeholders will have
different opinions. Taking a more objective approach by prioritizing and ranking the
plant assets can help. The process should include all necessary stakeholders covering
the needs of the entire plant, such as maintenance, operations, purchasing, safety,
environmental, and customer impact.
If this is the first assessment of critical assets, start from a system level rather than an
equipment level to ensure you are not overwhelming the stakeholders during the deci-
sion-making process. Questions should cover each area of interest and calculations
should be made to rank the effect of a system failure on the power plant. The systems
with the greatest impact will be the highest priority. Once systems have been identified
and ranked, the next step is to rank the individual assets within the system using the
same approach.
Take the highest priority equipment and employ a Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality
Assessment (FMECA) to help identify where and how the equipment might fail. The
FMECA is an in-depth evaluation and takes significant time to complete, so it should
not be used on every asset; many companies look at the top 10 percent of their most
critical assets. The results of the assessment provide the failure probability against the
severity of the consequence, giving a clear picture of which maintenance techniques
are warranted.
Diagnosing and detecting all potential failure modes (such as generator vibration or
transformer oil deterioration) in the mix of equipment is beyond the scope of this white
paper. Instead, we will concentrate on how to monitor three of the main sources of
failures for the majority of electrical power critical assets.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Step 2: Apply continuous condition-based monitoring

Common electrical asset failure modes
Electrical assets are subject to overheating due to excessive loads, normal wear and
tear, and challenging environmental conditions. Left unattended, these conditions can
lead to failures and costly damage to the asset and surrounding equipment, power
production loss, and in extreme cases, severe injury or death. Common failure modes
include thermal breakdown, insulation breakdown, and air dielectric breakdown.
Thermal breakdown
Circuit breaker, bus bar and cable connections tend to loosen and/or corrode over
time, resulting in thermal failure of the connection and nearby cable insulation.
Insulation breakdown
As insulators age, weak spots and defects evolve, and under certain load conditions,
a dielectric breakdown will initiate across the defect, causing a partial arc between
conductors at different potentials. This effect is known as a Partial Discharge (PD)
and left unmonitored, this condition can cause electrical assets to have flashovers
(see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Switchgear Accident Due to PD

Air dielectric breakdown

Often caused by high humidity, moisture causes corrosion on conductors and can
be absorbed in the insulators, leading to elevated heating, partial discharge, surface
tracking and the potential for shorts and flashover.

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Determine asset monitoring technique

Todays methods for electrical asset monitoring is often achieved through periodic
manual inspections during an outage, although there are some tests that can be
performed while power is online. Such manual inspections look for obvious problems
such as physical damage, frayed connectors, degraded insulation, moisture, and
evidence of overheated components. Electrical measurements can also be conducted
while power is off. Applying voltage with calibrated ac and dc HiPot test sets checks
insulation resistance in the panel enclosure, bus bars, circuit breakers and other
componentsand checks contact resistance to confirm bus bar joints are connected
properly.
Manual inspections for thermal breakdown can be accomplished with infrared (IR)
equipment and can be conducted while power is on. This technique requires multi-
tempered glass windows to be installed in the asset, a relatively expensive IR camera,
and a trained technician. Significant limitations of this type of inspection include:
Personnel cannot perform monitoring procedures behind bus insulators or in assets
that cannot be reached (elevated ISO-phase bus ducts) because line-of-sight is
required with IR technology
IR technology is a measure of emissivity, or how much infrared energy is emitted, as
opposed to actual point of contact temperature
Manually monitoring all necessary assets is a timely and expensive activity and can
be dangerous to the technician doing the monitoring
Data may be translated or entered incorrectly by the technician

Figure 3. Traditional manual inspection doesnt allow for continuous monitoring.

The most commonly used partial discharge detection instruments directly measure
the current and voltage spikes with high-frequency current transformers or
high-voltage capacitive couplers as outlined in the International Electrotechnical
Commissions IEC 60270 standard: Partial Discharge Measurements.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

This method has several strengths, including the ability to analyze pulse shapes and to
assemble a graph of the discharge events relative to the phase of the power line
waveform. Significant limitations of these systems:
Expensive equipment does not lend itself to be permanently installed in all
required assets
Testing is periodic even though it can be performed online, a phrase used to
signify power is being generated
Trained technicians are required to conduct the tests and analyze the data
Most companies are currently not monitoring humidity, instead they install heaters in
their assets with the hope the heater element does not fail.
Regardless of the type of manual inspection, trained technicians and specialized test
equipment are often required, leading to the need for an outside service provider.
Since the testing is periodic, any electrical problems occurring after the inspection can
go undetected until the next inspection. During that time, small problems can become
large ones, potentially leading to a complete failure of the asset and a power outage.
To mitigate these issues, the industry is moving toward continuous condition-based
monitoring, giving asset owners the ability to collect data generated during normal
operating conditions, thereby providing awareness to problems in real time.

Selecting sensor types

Using the asset priority list, FMECA data, along with evaluating the equipments
specifications such as system voltage, current, environment conditions, or accessibility,
will provide a baseline of information to determine the type of continuous
condition-based monitoring sensors to install.
Monitoring and trending data continuously, and in real-time, provides new insights
into the health of the assets. With this data, and in conjunction with other asset
parameters, asset owners can plan proactive maintenance, instead of running to failure
or another unexpected condition.

Temperature monitoring
Temperature monitoring is a primary method for detecting corrosion, wear, loose
connections, and other problems associated with the assets conductors (e.g. bus bar,
cables). One challenge is implementing continuous temperature monitoring of critical
connection points in air insulated assets . The sensors must maintain the impulse-with-
stand voltage, also known as basic impulse level (BIL). Consequently, conductors at
different potentials must have a minimal distance between each other to prevent
breakdown to ensure the impulse rating. Another key challenge is how to power the
sensors to avoid regular maintenance requirements.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Figure 4. SAW Sensors

Specific to the BIL concern, the IEEE Standards Associations C37.20.3:Standard for
Metal-Enclosed Interrupter Switchgear, Section 5.2 states switchgear rated with a
maximum voltage of 15 kilovolts must have an impulse voltage of 95 kilovolts, relating
to a distance (in air) of approximately 160 millimeters. This requirement eliminates the
most common types of direct contact temperature monitoring systems such as
thermocouples and RTDs, leaving only non-invasive systems such as fiber optics,
continuous IR sensing and wireless direct contact sensors.
Wireless passive sensor systems provide real-time continuous monitoring via direct
connection to critical measurement points. These systems are easy to install, require
no maintenance or yearly calibration, and have a life expectancy comparable to the
assets themselves. These sensors employ surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology (see
Figure 4).
Compared to other non-invasive sensors, passive SAW temperature sensors have no
physical connection to a control device, do not require batteries, and do not require
line-of-sight for measurements.

PD monitoring
The most commonly used PD detection instruments (phase resolved) directly measure
the current and voltage spikes of the asset. This method has several strengths,
including the ability to analyze pulse shapes and to assemble a graph of the discharge
events relative to the phase of the power line waveform. These systems are very
expensive and require trained technicians to analyze the data. They do not lend
themselves to permanent, continuous monitoring installations to cover the complete
power delivery system.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Figure 5. PD Monitoring System

Many companies are currently evaluating partial discharge detection methods outlined
in accordance to IEC 62478, a prospective standard for acoustic and electromagnetic
PD measurements. These methods use non-conventional instruments to make indirect
analytical measurements and obtain a relative signature of PD pulses that can be used
for system trending.
With PD pulse currents having short rise times (<1ns) and exciting electromagnetic
waves, a common technique is to monitor these waves in the Ultra High Frequency
(UHF) range between 300 MHz to 3GHz using a broadband antenna. Traditional UHF
methods are susceptible to noise from cell phones, radios and other transmitters.
However, newer instruments use selective, banded and filtered UHF monitoring to
detect partial discharges while rejecting noise sources. UHF provides the safest, most
non-intrusive continuous PD monitoring system.
Effective UHF partial discharge detection for continuous monitoring requires
distillation of an overwhelming amount of complex data down to a concise piece of
information, all without the intervention of a highly-trained operator. To provide an
autonomous approach for PD monitoring, advanced system algorithms must be
implemented to present data (see Figure 6) that can be easily processed for a health
assessment and long-term system trending.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Figure 6. Continuous PD Monitoring Graph

Humidity monitoring
Humidity contamination and moisture within electrical assets will result in long term
insulation damage and metallic corrosion. Assets that are continually exposed to high
humidity will absorb moisture, while voltage stresses will cause the hydrophobic
conductor surfaces to break down, eventually leading to system failure or flashovers.
When selecting a sensor, it should be designed for the harsh environments of electrical
assets and have no required maintenance or calibration schedule.

Typical monitoring system architecture

Although manual inspections can be used to monitor less critical assets, continuous
condition-based monitoring is the preferred alternative for assets which must be kept
online at all times.
Continuous condition-based monitoring systems are available with temperature,
humidity and PD sensing capabilities. In addition to the wireless temperature and PD
sensors outlined above, wired sensors are often installed on the asset enclosure to
provide ambient temperature and humidity readings. Ambient temperature readings
are important because the critical issue is temperature rise of hot spots above ambient,
as opposed to absolute temperature.
A typical continuous condition-based monitoring system for an electrical asset includes
a monitoring unit connecting temperature, humidity and partial discharge sensors as
shown in Figure 7. Each Temperature and PD Air Interface uses banded UHF technology
to sense PD directly. Each air interface device can also wirelessly link to three or more
SAW temperature sensors.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Figure 7. Monitoring System Block Diagram

Up to four air interfaces can be wired to the monitoring unit via low loss coaxial cables.
The monitoring unit can also accept up to eight conventional wired humidity and
ambient temperature sensors, which are well suited for making measurements in long
runs of bus ducts.
The monitoring unit can be a full-featured HMI with monitoring capabilities, or a unit
which provides remote monitoring capabilities. The monitoring unit provides all the
necessary wireless interrogation signals for the SAW sensors through the air interface
device, internally implements the PD detection algorithms, and communicates directly
with the humidity and ambient temperature sensors.
All data is accessible through industry standard Modbus RTU (RS485), DNP3, or
IEC-61850 communication protocols affording ease of integration into a power plants
existing SCADA, history, or DCS system. Figure 8 depicts the display of monitoring
system data on an Ovation DCS.

Figure 8. Ovation Screen with System Data

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Step 3: Analyze data and evaluate asset health

Once data is acquired and brought into a digital space where it can be analyzed, limits
and alarms can be placed on data trends. This allows the delivery of actionable
information to the maintenance and engineering team responsible for the assets. The
following example shows how installing pervasive sensing and analyzing data can lead
to actionable results.

Example 1
A large utility in the southeastern U.S.A. operates a multi-unit peaking combustion
turbine power plant. The plant operators are tasked with quickly bringing generating
capacity on-line, requiring cold-starts.
In the high humidity environments often found in this part of the U.S.A., this type of
operation was causing corrosion of GCB switch contacts. Frequent manual inspection
with corresponding forced downtime was required to prevent system failures. A
continuous asset monitoring system was installed on the GCBs and bus ducts.
This system provides continuous real-time views of asset health. Data is wirelessly
transmitted to the control room and integrated into the facilities OSIsoft PI process
historian.
The Critical Asset Monitoring (CAM) system detected excessive temperatures on four
of the six GCB bushings, and a scheduled maintenance inspection during a period of
low demand confirmed bushing deterioration. The bushings were replaced and
operation returned to normal, averting a failure which would have cost about
$250,000 USD for repairs, and cause weeks of downtime.

Figure 9. Confirmed generator circuit breaker bushing deterioration detected using the IntelliSAW
CAM system.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Example 2
A major utility in the western U.S.A. operates several hydroelectric power plants
installed in various rivers. Many of these plants are small and simple, so the utility is
transitioning to unmanned operation.
The utility implemented continuous condition-based monitoring to ensure its plants
would operate and provide feedback when unmanned. Temperature, PD and humidity
monitoring systems were installed in the bus ducts, as well as transformer connections
and disconnect switches. All data is now transmitted wirelessly back to servers for data
analysis, allowing the utility to operate these remote facilities with confidence.

Figure 10. Remote facility operation using wireless temperature, PD, and humidity monitoring
system in the bus ducts and step up transformers.

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3 Steps to Monitor Critical Electrical Power Assets White Paper

Example 3
A utility based in the southern U.S.A. had a failure on a bus duct running from the
generator to the step-up transformer that cost about $100,000 USD to repair and
resulted in two weeks of lost production. To predict and prevent these types of failures
in the future, the power plant installed a continuous monitoring system to monitor bus
duct temperature, PD and humidity. The data collected by the system is sent to the
plants Ovation DCS where it is continuously monitored by operators.

Figure 11. Continuous monitoring system on an iso-phase bus duct measuring temperature and
humidity.

Conclusion
Electric utilities need new and cost effective sensing technologies to replace inefficient
manual data collection techniques. Today, many are implementing continuous
condition-based monitoring systems for electrical assets.
These systems allow operators and engineers to collect and analyze data in real-time
for predictive maintenance and other purposes. This helps power plants avoid
unscheduled downtime by performing work during planned outages, reduces labor
and overtime costs by avoiding system breakdowns, and recovers lost productivity by
avoiding emergencies.

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 White Paper

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